Joint Postgraduate Award with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

This grant scheme provides an opportunity for a postgraduate psychologist to be seconded to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).

It allows them to support the creation of psychology-related briefing materials for MPs and peers.

The fellowship lasts 13 weeks (full-time) or longer if part-time.

It may be undertaken remotely, at POST’s offices in Westminster, or under hybrid working arrangements.

The successful applicant will start their fellowship between September 2024 and April 2025.

The BPS will provide funding to cover the Fellow’s PhD stipend maintenance grant, travel, and relocation or care costs, up to a total of £7,922.50.

Self-funded PhD students will receive funding equivalent to the stipend maintenance grant rate set by the Economic, Social and Research Council.

Read the application guidance document for more information.

Deadline

This scheme runs annually.

  • Scheme open date: 08 January 2024
  • Scheme close date: 10 March 2024

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following three eligibility criteria:

  • be a postgraduate student registered for a doctoral degree in a psychology-related subject e.g. PhD/MPhil or taught practitioner doctorates (DClinPsy etc.) at a UK Higher Education Institute or their PhD funding must have ended within the 12 months prior to the application deadline (if your funding ended before 10 March 2023, you are not eligible for this fellowship)
  • must have completed their first year of full-time study (or equivalent if part-time) prior to the publication of this call for applications
  • be at least a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society

Successful applicants will be required to apply for and pass a security check in order to undertake the fellowship.

Further information can be found in the application guidance.

How to apply

This is a two-stage application: an initial application and an interview.

Full details of the application and selection process can be found in the application guidance document.

For the initial application, you will be required to complete an online form and produce a two-page briefing that you think would be of current interest to parliamentarians and addresses an area of public policy relevant to psychology.

The briefing should be completed using the template document and uploaded to the application form. The template is available to download from the application form.

Submit an application form here

Please note: we cannot accept late applications.

Further information

POST has put together a page with answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions asked about POST fellowships.

If you have any other queries please contact [email protected].